Electric amalgamator.



No. 666,056. Patented Feb. 26, I90I.

Ln. BARRICKS.

ELECTRIC AMALGAMATOR.

(Application filed Aug. 6, 1900.! (No Model.)

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NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS H. BARRIOKS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALFTO JESSE G. TUNNIOLIFFE, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC AMALGAMATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming; part of Letters Patent No. 669,058, datedFebruary 26, 1901.

Application filed August 6, 1900. Serial No. 26,020. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- channeled to receive the lower edge of theBe it known that LLOUIS HENRY BARRICKS, partition. The bottom of the boxextends fora citizen of the United States, residing in the ward of thepartition for a comparatively city and county of San Francisco, in theState short distance and is then upturned to form 55 of California,haveinvented an Improvement a vertical wall 20, which forms betweenitself in Electric Amalgamators; and I hereby deand the partition acompartment of considerclare the following to be a full, clear, and ablevertical area exposed to the partition,

exact description of the same. and the upper edge of the wall is extend-My invention relates to animprovement in ed horizontally at 22 andprovided with a re- 10 electric amalgamators. taming-flange 23 toholdback the mercury of It consists of electrolytic boxes having contactof shallow horizontal depth, and into vertical porous partitions,pivotal sectional which latter compartment the end of the lip sluices,and supports adapted to an incline, D dips,as shown. I make the boxiuthis manwhereby the boxes, rifiies, and sluices may be ner for thereasons: x 5 arranged in series, and of details of construc- First.Either 6 or 7 may be recharged or innon shown by the following drawings.spected at any time without discontinuing the Figure 1 is a longitudinalvertical section. operation of the sluices or shutting off the wa- Fig.2 is a detail sectional view of the sluiceter. This is important, as thesalt is used box, trough, and connections. Figs. 3 and l rapidly,and itis necessary that more be added :0 illustrate detailed views of theanode and to the solution from time to time.

cathode. Second. The shape of the reservoir or mer- A represents anincline of wood or iron. 13 cury rifiie 7 gives large surface of contactwith represents supports or,as Iteru1 them,kneethe pulp, metal, andwater passing onto it brackets, adapted to and secured upon this fromthe sluices. It is immaterial as far as 25 incline and carrying upontheir longer horithis part of its efficiency is concerned how zont-aledges the solution and mercury troughs deep this reservoir may be, butit figu res con- E, and their upper vertical portions having siderablyinthe amount of mercury necessary each as lot 2 and side and bottomset-screws 3 and consequent cost. Hence the lip 8 of this to take ajournal-box Q. These brackets are reservoir is made quite shallow. 8o 0arranged in pairs. Third. In the samemannerand for the same 0 is asluice-box having journals or pivots reason I get a large surface ofcontact with 4, attached to the sluice by bolts, as 11, and the porousplate F and shallow horizontal fitting the journal-boxes Q, which latterhave depth, for in this case is wan ted sim ply a large set-screws 5, bywhich the journals 4 are area of contact wit-h the percolating salt so-5 locked at the desired adjustment. In the botlution for electrolyticpurposes, as will be tom of the sluice is a metal plate or rifflehavshown. ing a lip I). The solution compartment or cell is insu- Thesluice-box O, with journalboxes Q in lated by glass or other suitablematerial on place, is set between a pair of brackets B the bottom andthree sides. It may also carry 40 and Q,locked in position in 2 by theset-screws an insulated cover to keep the solution clean.

3, the lower edge of the sluice resting on the An anode of lead 9 orequivalent substance box E and the lip D extending down into the isplaced in the solution-box 6, having suitmercury contained in E. Theset-screws 5 able wire or other connections with a circuit.

and 3 allow the incline of the sluices to be The porous plate F ishermetically sealed on 5 45 regulated in accordance with the head ofwathe sides and bottom to the box E.

ter, weight of material, fall, &c. The box E, I prefer to make of castmetal I have shown a solution-box and mercuryin the shape shown andhaving grooves, into reservoir E, having averticalporouspartition whichthis porous plate is to be cemented.

F, dividing it into the part 6, containing a sa- The box E is attachedto the knee-brackets by I00 50 line solution,and the part 7,holdingmercury. bolts, as at 10.

As shown in Fig. 2, the bottom of the box is G is a spreader or sluicethrough which the pulp or ore, with water, is conducted to the boxes 0.

H is a tail-trough by which the tailings are led off into the sluices I.

The pulp or ore to be Worked may be gold, silver, platinum, mercury, orsuch metals as are usually worked by electrolysis.

The plate D, forming the cathode, is insulated from all electricconnection with the part 6 except as through the mercury and porouspartition.

In operation the sluices and troughs upon brackets are arranged inseries upon an incline, as shown. Water carrying its suspended materialpasses through G into the sluice C, over the copper plate D and on tothe mercury riiile, and then on through succeeding sluices and over likemercury riffies, as many as may be necessary and desired. During thisoperation a on rrent of electricity continuously passes from thepositive electrode in the cell 6, containing a saline solution, throughthe porous cell and mercury, to the negative electrode D. The salinesolution, slowly percolating through the porous partition, comes indirect contact with the mercury, where the salt is decomposed by thecurrent and sodium is liberated in quantities proportionate to thecurrent and the mercury purified and kept active in the well-knownmanner of sodium amalgam.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an amalgamator, the combination with a sluice-box, of a box orreceptacle including two compartments and a permeable partitionseparating one compartment from the other one of said compartmentsadapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercury, saidmercury-compartmenthavingahorizontalextension from the upper edge of oneof its walls and said extension having a retaining-flange to provide thecompartment with an extended surface of mercury contact of shallowdepth.

2. In an amalgamator,the combination with a sluice-box, of a receptaclehaving a permeable partition dividing it into cells of unequal size oneof said cells adapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercurysaid box having its bottom extended in front of the partition to form amercury-chamber of shallow horizontal depth and extended surface ofcontact with the partition, and the upper edge of said Wall extendedhorizontally and flanged to form an extended surface of mercury contactwith the pulp and of shallow vertical depth.

3. In an amalgamator, a compartment receptacle having a vertical porouspartition between the two, one of said compartments adapted to containmercury and the other a saline solution, a sluice-box located above thereceptacle and having an electrical conducting bottom plate, one end ofwhich dips into the mercury, an electrical conductor for the othercompartment and journal pins and boxes by which the sluice isadjust-ably supported.

4. The combination with a receptacle having a vertical porous partitionforming two compartments one adapted to contain a saline solution andthe other mercury, a sluice having an electrical conducting bottomdipping into the mercury-compartment, a conductor Within the first-namedcompartment, journals and pins upon which the sluice is supported, andscrews by which the journalboxes are adjusted and the sluice-supportingpins locked.

5. In an amalgam'ator, the combination of an inclined frame with aseries of brackets, and vertically-separated mercury and solutionchambers carried thereon, each lower than the next preceding, ofintermediate electrical conducting-plates the discharge ends of whichdip into the succeeding mercury-chain bers, electrical conductors in thesolutionchambers and supports for said plates carried by and adjustableupon the brackets.

6. In an electrical amalgamating device the combination of a series ofreceptacles each having a permeable partition forming two compartmentsone adapted to contain a saline solution and the other mercury, aninclined plane,and supports or knee-brackets attached thereto, pivotedand adjustable sluices having electricalconducting-bottomsdippingintothe mercury-compartment and a conductor within the other compartment.

7. In an electric a'rnalgamator, the combination of an inclined plane,supports attached thereto carrying upon their horizontal edges 2.vertically-partitioned amalgamatingtrough forming two cells one adaptedto contain a saline solution and the other mercury, and one of saidcells having an extended shallow end, vertical extensions of thesesupports or brackets above the trough, journal-boxes adjustably fittedthereto, a sluice-box having journals near one end fitting thesejournalboxes, means for adjusting the incline of the sluice-box, a metalplate Within and projecting beyond the sluice-box, and dipping into themercury-containing cell, said plate forming the cathode and electricallyconnected with the anode Within the solution-containing cell through theporous partition and contacting fluids.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS H. BARRIOKS.

Witnesses:

GEO. I-I. STRONG, S. H. NOURSE.

